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第37章

susy, a story of the plains-第37章

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YOU only。  Don't laugh at me; Mrs。 Peyton; it is the truth; the

whole truth; I am telling you。  God help me!〃



If she only COULD have laughed;harshly; ironically; or even

mercifully and kindly!  But it would not come。  And she burst out:



〃I am not laughing。  Good heavens; don't you see?  It is ME you are

making ridiculous。〃



〃YOU ridiculous?〃 he said in a momentarily choked; half…stupefied

voice。  〃Youa beautiful woman; my superior in everything; the

mistress of these lands where I am only stewardmade ridiculous;

not by my presumption; but by my confession?  Was the saint you just

now admired in Father Esteban's chapel ridiculous because of the

peon clowns who were kneeling before it?〃



〃Hush!  This is wicked!  Stop!〃



She felt she was now on firm ground; and made the most of it in

voice and manner。  She must draw the line somewhere; and she would

draw it between passion and impiety。



〃Not until I have told you all; and I MUST before I leave you。  I

loved you when I came here;even when your husband was alive。

Don't be angry; Mrs。 Peyton; HE would not; and need not; have been

angry; he would have pitied the foolish boy; who; in the very

innocence and ignorance of his passion; might have revealed it to

him as he did to everybody but ONE。  And yet; I sometimes think you

might have guessed it; had you thought of me at all。  It must have

been on my lips that day I sat with you in the boudoir。  I know that

I was filled with it; with it and with you; with your presence; with

your beauty; your grace of heart and mind;yes; Mrs。 Peyton; even

with your own unrequited love for Susy。  Only; then; I knew not what

it was。〃



〃But I think I can tell you what it was then; and now;〃 said Mrs。

Peyton; recovering her nervous little laugh; though it died a moment

after on her lips。  〃I remember it very well。  You told me then that

I REMINDED YOU OF YOUR MOTHER。  Well; I am not old enough to be your

mother; Mr。 Brant; but I am old enough to have been; and might have

been; the mother of your wife。  That was what you meant then; that

is what you mean now。  I was wrong to accuse you of trying to make

me ridiculous。  I ask your pardon。  Let us leave it as it was that

day in the boudoir; as it is NOW。  Let me still remind you of your

mother;I know she must have been a good woman to have had so good

a son;and when you have found some sweet young girl to make you

happy; come to me for a mother's blessing; and we will laugh at the

recollection and misunderstanding of this evening。〃



Her voice did not; however; exhibit that exquisite maternal

tenderness which the beatific vision ought to have called up; and

the persistent voice of Clarence could not be evaded in the shadow。



〃I said you reminded me of my mother;〃 he went on at her side;

〃because I knew her and lost her only as a child。  She never was

anything to me but a memory; and yet an ideal of all that was sweet

and lovable in woman。  Perhaps it was a dream of what she might have

been when she was as young in years as you。  If it pleases you still

to misunderstand me; it may please you also to know that there is a

reminder of her even in this。  I have no remembrance of a word of

affection from her; nor a caress; I have been as hopeless in my love

for her who was my mother; as of the woman I would make my wife。〃



〃But you have seen no one; you know no one; you are young; you

scarcely know your own self!  You will forget this; you will forget

ME!  And ififI shouldlisten to you; what would the world say;

what would YOU yourself say a few years hence?  Oh; be reasonable。

Think of it;it would be so wild;so mad! sosoutterly

ridiculous!〃



In proof of its ludicrous quality; two tears escaped her eyes in the

darkness。  But Clarence caught the white flash of her withdrawn

handkerchief in the shadow; and captured her returning hand。  It was

trembling; but did not struggle; and presently hushed itself to rest

in his。



〃I'm not only a fool but a brute;〃 he said in a lower voice。

〃Forgive me。  I have given you pain;you; for whom I would have

died。〃



They had both stopped。  He was still holding her sleeping hand。  His

arm had stolen around the burnous so softly that it followed the

curves of her figure as lightly as a fold of the garment; and was

presumably unfelt。  Grief has its privileges; and suffering

exonerates a questionable situation。  In another moment her fair

head MIGHT have dropped upon his shoulder。  But an approaching voice

uprose in the adjoining broad allee。  It might have been the world

speaking through the voice of the lawyer Sanderson。



〃Yes; he is a good fellow; and an intelligent fellow; too; but a

perfect child in his experience of mankind。〃



They both started; but Mrs。 Peyton's hand suddenly woke up and

grasped his firmly。  Then she said in a higher; but perfectly level

tone:



〃Yes; I think with you we had better look at it again in the

sunlight to…morrow。  But here come our friends; they have probably

been waiting for us to join them and go in。〃



        。        。        。        。        。        。        。



The wholesome freshness of early morning was in the room when

Clarence awoke; cleared and strengthened。  His resolution had been

made。  He would leave the rancho that morning; to enter the world

again and seek his fortune elsewhere。  This was only right to HER;

whose future it should never be said he had imperiled by his folly

and inexperience; and if; in a year or two of struggle he could

prove his right to address her again; he would return。  He had not

spoken to her since they had parted in the garden; with the grim

truths of the lawyer ringing in his ears; but he had written a few

lines of farewell; to be given to her after he had left。  He was

calm in his resolution; albeit a little pale and hollow…eyed for it。



He crept downstairs in the gray twilight of the scarce…awakened

house; and made his way to the stables。  Saddling his horse; and

mounting; he paced forth into the crisp morning air。  The sun; just

risen; was everywhere bringing out the fresh color of the flower…

strewn terraces; as the last night's shadows; which had hidden them;

were slowly beaten back。  He cast a last look at the brown adobe

quadrangle of the quiet house; just touched with the bronzing of the

sun; and then turned his face towards the highway。  As he passed the

angle of the old garden he hesitated; but; strong in his resolution;

he put the recollection of last night behind him; and rode by

without raising his eyes。



〃Clarence!〃



It was HER voice。  He wheeled his horse。  She was standing behind

the grille in the old wall as he had seen her standing on the day he

had ridden to his rendezvous with Susy。  A Spanish manta was thrown

over her head and shoulders; as if she had dressed hastily; and had

run out to intercept him while he was still in the stable。  Her

beautiful face was pale in its black…hooded recess; and there were

faint circles around her lovely eyes。



〃You were going without saying 'goodby'!〃 she said softly。



She passed her slim white hand between the grating。  Clarence leaped

to the ground; caught it; and pressed it to his lips。  But he did

not let it go。



〃No! no!〃 she said; struggling to withdraw it。  〃It is better as it

isasas you have decided it to be。  Only I could not let you go

thus;without a word。  There now;go; Clarence; go。  Please!

Don't you see I am behind these bars?  Think of them as the years

that separate us; my poor; dear; foolish boy。  Think of them as

standing between us; growing closer; heavier; and more cruel and

hopeless as the years go on。〃



Ah; well! they had been good bars a hundred and fifty years ago;

when it was thought as necessary to repress the innocence that was

behind them as the wickedness that was without。  They had done duty

in the convent at Santa Inez; and the monastery of Santa Barbara;

and had been brought hit

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